KATHMANDU: Mahendra Morang Adarsha Multiple Campus in Biratnagar is to provide re-totalling and college migration forms to students inside college premises.

The college agreed to provide the forms after a student lodged a complaint at ‘Hello Sarkaar’ section of the Prime Minister’s Office in Kathmandu, arguing that as the college did not provide re-totalling and migration forms, students were compelled to buy these from stationery where the owners denied them VAT bill.

The complaint was forwarded to Tribhuvan University with priority. It was later forwarded to the TU Office of the Controller of Examinations by Information and Public Relations Division of the University.

Consequently, all colleges in the eastern region of the country have been directed to ensure availability of the forms inside college premises. Joint Controller of Examinations, Arjun Bikram Khadka, shared this information.

Organising team pose for the camera after concluding the event. Photo courtesy: SEC

KATHMANDU: First-of-its-kind internship and job placement fair has been organised in the capital by an engineering college, targeting fresh graduates.

Sagarmatha Engineering College (SEC) and its sister concern Sagarmatha College of Science And Technology, in collaboration with Zobfindr, organised the ‘Internship and Placement Fair’ with the theme ‘Sagarmatha – Institution to Industry’ in its college premises in Sanepa, Lalitpur, on November 17.

The event was organised targeting fresh graduates and eighth-semester students of IT and Engineering for internship and job placement.

Students of BE Civil, BE Computer, BE Electronics and Communication, and BSc CSIT from various colleges across the country received an opportunity of an on-the-spot interview for internship and job at a single venue. On-the-spot interview with top IT and engineering companies of Nepal was the main highlight of the event.

Dakshina Shrestha, Associate Professor and Head of Training and Placement Unit said, “The event was organised with an objective of helping students liaise with the industry and job market to make a smooth transition from college to corporate life. Many graduates were placed by online interviews. Overall, it was a win-win situation for both companies and graduates. The feedback we received was excellent. We were requested to organise such event every year.”

Sixteen of the leading Nepali companies working in the field of information technology and engineering like Javra Software, Leapfrog, Vianet, Karkhana, Fuse Machine, Wikimedians Nepal, among others had participated in the event.

One of the representatives from Javra Software, Technical Manager Dev Narayan said, “When I came here I expected a huge crowd, and students seeking jobs. That is what happened. I feel this is a good initiative taken by the college. I feel, definitely, a lot of engineers will be selected through the event.”

The event witnessed a participation of around 700 students.

Organisations working in related field like Malaya Foundation, Virinchi College, Himalayan College of Management, Sudreeshya Academy, Halftone Designs, Broadway, Start Technology, Sukrabar, and Way 360 had sponsored this open event.

Sagarmatha Engineering College was established in 2010 under the affiliation of Tribhuvan University.

FILE: Alaleh Azhir, a 21-year old senior at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland, is among the latest crop of American Rhodes scholars, which has more women than any other single class. Courtesy: AP

BOSTON: The latest crop of US Rhodes scholars has more women than any other single class, and almost half of this year’s recipients of the prestigious scholarship to Oxford University in England are either immigrants or first-generation Americans, the Rhodes Trust announced Sunday.

Among the 32 winners is Harvard University senior Jin Park, the first recipient covered by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, the Obama-era program that shields young immigrants from deportation.

Park, 22, of the New York City borough of Queens, arrived from South Korea with his parents when he was 7, studied molecular and cellular biology at Harvard, and founded a nonprofit to help undocumented students apply to college.

He hopes to become an immigrant advocate, saying it’s important for him to use the opportunity to better others, not just himself.

“When you grow up as an undocumented immigrant in America, that understanding that your talents don’t really belong to you in the traditional sense, that you have to share the fruits of your labor with others, that’s just something you learn,” Park said.

Alaleh Azhir, a 21-year old senior at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, emigrated from Iran when she was 14 — and is also one of 21 female scholars named Sunday. The New York City resident hopes eventually to become a doctor and will study women’s and reproductive health at Oxford.

“I’m just a passionate advocate for women in general and that’s mostly because of my background,” she said. “I thought that the way I could advocate for women could be by advocating for their health.”

At Chapman University in Southern California, Vidal Arroyo, 21, reflected on his unlikely path to becoming his school’s first Rhodes Scholar.

“As a Latino, a first-generation college student, and a train commuter to college, winning this scholarship means so much to me because it sheds hope for students from backgrounds like my own who have to overcome multiple barriers in pursuit of a higher education and a better future,” said Arroyo, who plans to study engineering science at Oxford.

And Eren Orbey, a 23-year-old senior at Yale University in Connecticut, whose parents emigrated from Turkey, hopes studying at Oxford will bring greater “context and clarity” to his writing. He is a regular contributor to The New Yorker magazine and is working on a book about his father, who was slain in Ankara when he was just 3, and the killer.

“I’m interested in studying the ethics of revenge and forgiveness,” Orbey said Sunday by email. “I think that our culture and media coverage often condescend to immigrants and survivors of trauma. In my writing, I hope to recast tragedy and strife as occasions for growth and heroism.”

The US Rhodes scholars join a separate, international group of scholars representing more than 60 countries.

Rhodes Scholarships provide all expenses for at least two years of study at Oxford. They were created in 1902 in the will of Cecil Rhodes, a British businessman and Oxford alum who was a prime minister of the Cape Colony in present-day South Africa.

]]>551599Technical subject to be incorporated in school curriculumhttps://thehimalayantimes.com/education/technical-subject-to-be-incorporated-in-school-curriculum/
Wed, 17 Oct 2018 05:40:12 +0000http://thehimalayantimes.com/?p=546377Minister for Education, Science and Technology Giriraj Mani Pokharel has asserted that technical subjects would be incorporated compulsorily in the secondary level school curriculum from the next academic year.

BARDIBAS: Minister for Education, Science and Technology Giriraj Mani Pokharel has asserted that technical subjects would be incorporated compulsorily in the secondary level school curriculum from the next academic year.

Addressing the Dashain, Tihar, Chhat, Nepal Sambat and Eid greetings exchange programme organised by the Adharshila family at Bardibas on Tuesday, Minister Pokharel reiterated that subjects such as ayurveda, yoga, agriculture, veterinary science and forestry would be included in the secondary level education.

]]>546377The British College confers degrees to 225 graduating studentshttps://thehimalayantimes.com/education/the-british-college-confers-degrees-to-225-graduating-students/
Mon, 10 Sep 2018 16:07:14 +0000http://thehimalayantimes.com/?p=538292The British College conferred degrees to 225 graduating students at the fourth annual graduation ceremony held at the Hyatt Regency, Bouddha in Kathmandu on Friday.

Guest of Honour and representatives from both the awarding universities attend the 4th graduation ceremony of The British College in Kathmandu. Courtesy: TBC

KATHMANDU: The British College conferred degrees to 225 graduating students at the fourth annual graduation ceremony held at the Hyatt Regency, Bouddha in Kathmandu on Friday.

In a statement today, the college said it bid adieu to 225 graduates, its fourth batch and largest, from various faculties.

Among them, 60 students graduated with BBA (Hons) Business and Management; 30 with MSc International Business Management from the University of the West of England, Bristol; 123 students with BSc (Hons) Computing; and 12 students graduated with MBA (Executive) from Leeds Beckett University, the statement reads.

Representatives from both the awarding universities, Donna Whitehead, Pro Vice Chancellor and Executive Dean, Bristol Business School and Bristol Law School, UWE and Lesley Earle, Principal Lecturer of Leeds Beckett, attended the event.

The ceremony was attended by graduands, families, academics and special guests. The list included: Guest of Honour and Chief Guest Michael Rutland OBE (The British Honorary Counsel in Bhutan and advisor to TBC), Paul Cleves (Former Head of Geography at Eton College and advisor to TBC), Chiran Thapa (Accredited Educationalist and Advisor to TBC) and Dr John Bateman Principal of the British College).

On the occasion, British Ambassador to Nepal Richard Morris and Khetan Group of Industries Executive Director Rajendra Khetan were also present.

Rajen Kandel, CEO and Founder of the British College, congratulated all the graduates and parents present at the event.

The British College offer internationally recognised degrees and courses in affiliation to the Leeds Beckett University and the University of West of England, it said in the statement.

KATHMANDU: Kangaroo Education Foundation is all set to organise a one-day education fair in Kathmandu, on Wednesday.

In a statement today, the organiser has expressed optimism in providing authentic and genuine information to students seeking studies abroad.

The fair will be held at the Kangaroo Education Foundation’s central office in AB Complex, Padmodaya Mode, Putalisadak from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm on August 1, 2018.

CEO of the Foundation, Mahesh Babu Timalsina, said, “Representatives of universities and colleges, both the government and private sectors from Australia, US, Canada, New Zealand and Europe will be present during the fair.”

“The guardians and students visiting the fair will have an opportunity to meet and interact directly with the representatives. They can seek genuine information regarding admissions, scholarships, culture and history of a particular nation,” Timalsina added.

IDP Education and Siddhartha Bank will be present during the fair to help students get detailed information regarding registration, procedure of IELTS and processing bank loan for abroad studies respectively, the organiser said.

KEF has seven branches in Nepal, two in Australia and one in Bangladesh.

]]>528993DAV College’s ‘Public Speaking and Emcee Training’ programme concludeshttps://thehimalayantimes.com/education/dav-colleges-public-speaking-and-emcee-training-program-concludes/
Thu, 19 Jul 2018 15:13:21 +0000http://thehimalayantimes.com/?p=527033As many as 50 students took part in the training programme conducted by former Miss Nepal, Malvika Subba, the college said.

]]>527033Australia’s IDP Education announces scholarship to Nepali studentshttps://thehimalayantimes.com/education/australias-idp-education-announces-scholarship-to-nepali-students/
Thu, 19 Jul 2018 14:40:10 +0000http://thehimalayantimes.com/?p=527006IDP Education, a global leader in international education services and an Australian Securities Exchange listed company, has announced a scholarship program to Nepali students.

KATHMANDU: IDP Education, a global leader in international education services and an Australian Securities Exchange listed company, has announced a scholarship program to Nepali students.

The scholarship program amounting to a total of AUD 50,000 is granted to Nepali students to assist them for accessing quality international education across English speaking nations such as Australia, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Canada, New Zealand and Ireland, reads a statement.

Andrew Barkla, CEO, IDP Education said, “To create more opportunities for students from Nepal, IDP will be offering international education scholarship to ten ambitious Nepali students. The selection will be merit-based to deserving candidates to help them connect to lifelong career success through an international education degree.”

He further said they are also looking forward to cooperating with non-government organisations in Nepal to support them in their efforts to make education more accessible for underprivileged youth.

IDP Education has also announced plans to open an office in Kathmandu by 1st August to facilitate Nepali students achieve their international education goals, as stated in the statement.

On the occasion, Piyush Kumar, Regional Director, South Asia said, “We are delighted with our plan to launch IDP’s first student placement services office in Hattisar, Kathmandu,” adding highly-trained and experienced counsellors will be on hand to help students make these life-changing choices with confidence and clarity. All IDP services are free of cost.

IDP partners with more than 650 leading universities and institutions around the world.

]]>5270062-day 11th Malaysia Education Fair 2018 to be held in Kathmanduhttps://thehimalayantimes.com/education/2-day-11th-malaysia-education-fair-2018-to-be-held-in-kathmandu/
Thu, 19 Jul 2018 14:14:29 +0000http://thehimalayantimes.com/?p=527020A two-day Malaysia Education Fair 2018 is all set to be organised in Kathmandu on July 20-21, the organiser said.

]]>KATHMANDU: The British College has launched its 1stAlumni Network-British College Alumni Network (BCAN)- amid an event held at Hotel Himalaya, Kupondole, recently.

According to the college, BCAN has focused on four platforms; mentorship, careers, events and community service. Moreover, it aims to provide an active support system to connect, network and link students of TBC and BMC to platforms for various career breaks alongside promoting social development work, the college said in a statement.

“We congratulate the alumni team of The British College and will be looking forward to supporting the upcoming programs from BCAN. We believe this network will benefit students on creating many opportunities,” said Principal of The British College, John Bateman.

]]>523265CDA students opt for practical learninghttps://thehimalayantimes.com/education/central-department-of-anthropology-students-opt-for-practical-learning/
Thu, 31 May 2018 07:04:17 +0000http://thehimalayantimes.com/?p=516316Helping its students gather practical knowledge on different aspects of research, the Central Department of Anthropology (CDA), Tribhuvan University (TU) organised a two-day field visit to Tinthali, Kavrepalanchowk on May 26 and 27.

Students participate in a two-day field visit and research organised by the Central Department of Anthropology (CDA), Tribhuvan University (TU) from May 26 to May 27, in Tinthali, Kavrepalanchowk. Photo courtesy: Man Bahadur Khattri

KATHMANDU: Helping its students gather practical knowledge on different aspects of research, the Central Department of Anthropology (CDA), Tribhuvan University (TU) organised a two-day field visit to Tinthali, Kavrepalanchowk on May 26 and 27.

The IInd and IVth Semester students pursuing Master of in Anthropology took part in the field visit that was led by four educators from the Department. A total of 11 students from studying in IVth Semester and 17 students from IInd Semester took part in the field research.

Prof Laya Prasad Uprety, Head of CDA informed, “Our students study research methodologies and other topics theoretically. But such empirical researches and field works help them to implement those theories and gain better insights on the topics they have been studying.”

Prof Uprety reckoned that they will continue such programmes in the future too.

]]>516316David Beckham tackles bullying and violence in Indonesian schoolshttps://thehimalayantimes.com/education/david-beckham-tackles-bullying-and-violence-in-indonesian-schools/
Thu, 29 Mar 2018 11:19:28 +0000http://thehimalayantimes.com/?p=500346Beckham, a father of four, has said that he hopes his own children will be proud of his work with the 7 Fund, which also has projects in Indonesia, Nepal, Uganda and El Salvador.

FILE – In this May 25, 2017 file photo, soccer legend David Beckham poses for photographers upon arrival at the amfAR charity gala during the Cannes 70th international film festival, Cap d’Antibes, southern France. Photo: AP

LONDON: Football legend David Beckham has visited Indonesia – where one in three children have been physically attacked in school – to see how his charity, the 7 Fund, is combating bullying.

The A-list celebrity and former England captain launched the fund to protect the world’s most vulnerable youngsters in 2015 with the United Nations children’s agency (UNICEF).

“I feel very proud to see how my 7 Fund is helping UNICEF tackle bullying and violence in schools in Indonesia, and is ultimately keeping children, especially girls, safe in their schools so they can continue their education,” he said.

Bullying and violence are among the biggest worries for young people in Indonesia, with more than 1 in 5 teens aged 13 to 15 – or 18 million students – experiencing it, leading to mental health problems and school dropouts, UNICEF said.

The 7 Fund teaches children who have been bullied and former bullies to educate others and trains teachers to keep children safe. Bullying has been reduced by almost a third among the 7,000 children who have taken part in pilot programmes, it said.

“I spent time with an amazing young girl – Sripun – who was voted by her peers to take part in an anti-bullying programme to help stop violence in schools,” Beckham said in a statement.

“This has increased her confidence and she’s hopeful that other students won’t have to go through the same bullying experience she did.”

The fund — named after Beckham’s lucky number on his England and Manchester United shirts — focuses on children at risk of violence, abuse or disease.

Beckham, a father of four, has said that he hopes his own children will be proud of his work with the 7 Fund, which also has projects in Indonesia, Nepal, Uganda and El Salvador.

]]>500346‘Govt should give top priority to education’https://thehimalayantimes.com/education/government-give-top-priority-education/
Sat, 17 Feb 2018 23:06:29 +0000http://thehimalayantimes.com/?p=487798Vice-chairman of National Planning Commission Swarnim Wagle has said that setting the educational agenda has been a great challenge in the country.

Vice-chairman of National Planning Commission Swarnim Wagle has said that setting the educational agenda has been a great challenge in the country.

Speaking at the 18th Annual General Meeting of Educational Journalist Group here today, he said the government had to give priority to education.

“The quality of education should be improved now that the local levels are responsible for handling and managing school education,” he said.

Around 40 per cent of budget is being sent to the local levels and preparations are also on to hand over different projects currently being handled by different non-governmental organisations to the local levels.

Similarly, former education minister Dhaniram Paudel said despite the handover of the education system to the local levels, the Ministry of Education, Department of Education and district education offices should handle the education system.

Madhu Prasad Regmi, secretary at the Ministry of Education, said 23 responsibilities of the education sector had been given to the local levels without hampering the educational system.

As all the basic and secondary schools are being handled by the local levels it will be easy to manage resources for the education sector from local resources, he added.

On the occasion, Mathura Yadav principal of Tribeni Primary School, Rupandehi, and Devi Khadka Pokhrel, member of School Management Committee of Kamala Secondary School, Sindhuli were honored at the programme.

]]>MYAGDI: Myagdi district has been declared a ‘literate district’ on Monday.

The district was provided the status of a literate district after 96.27 per cent of the total population between 15 to 60 years of age achieved the required literacy.

Member of the federal parliament from the district, Bhupendra Bahadur Thapa, made this announcement at a programme jointly organised by the District Non-formal Education Committee and the District Education Office here on Monday.

A rally was organised around Beni Bazaar participated by the stakeholders and locals before the programme, where Thapa shared that the district was declared literate as per international standards, and that this achievement would send positive messages to all sectors in the district.

The whole district was declared literate after all 45 wards and six local levels of the district met the criteria to become literate. He also added that continuity would be given to the literacy programme to utilize the knowledge gained by the literate and to extend literacy to those who are not literate yet, Coordinator of District Non-formal Education Committee and Chief of District Coordination Committee Devendra Bahadur KC was quoted as saying in Rastriya Samachar Samiti.

With this, Myagdi has become the 39th district in the country to obtain the ‘literate district’ status. On the occasion, the Centre for Non-formal Education under the Ministry of Education presented a certificate to the District Education Office, Myagdi for its success in meeting the criteria of a ‘literate district’.

A household survey conducted by the District Education Office found that 79,739 people out of the total population of 82,826 of the 16-60 years age group had achieved the literacy standard required for the district to be declared as a literate district.

]]>479309LLM first year results announcedhttps://thehimalayantimes.com/education/llm-first-year-results-announced/
Fri, 01 Dec 2017 15:49:48 +0000http://thehimalayantimes.com/?p=464199Tribhuvan University (TU), Office of the Controller of Examinations on Friday published the results of LLM (Master of Laws) First Year.

]]>464199Short term diploma courses on Air Cabin Crew and Airport Ground Handlinghttps://thehimalayantimes.com/education/short-term-diploma-courses-air-cabin-crew-airport-ground-handling/
Sun, 15 Oct 2017 16:00:59 +0000http://thehimalayantimes.com/?p=453429The Northern Light Academy of Aviation and Technology Institute, in affiliation with the City and Guilds of London is offering short term diploma courses on Air Cabin Crew and Airport Ground Handling, in Kathmandu.

Faculty members of the Northern Light Academy of Aviation and Technology Institute pose for a group portrait in its premises at New Baneshwor, Kathmandu, on Sunday, October 15, 2017. Courtesy: Rakesh Sanjel

KATHMANDU: The Northern Light Academy of Aviation and Technology Institute, in affiliation with the City and Guilds of London is offering short term diploma courses on Air Cabin Crew and Airport Ground Handling, in Kathmandu.

Issuing a press statement, the institute said the courses offered by them is unique and first in Nepal.

In association with the AST AR Service Training UK, the institute is also providing EASA Part 66 Modular Training to its students, it said in the statement.

Students with minimum qualification of School Leaving Certificate (SLC) can enroll into the programmees, Rakesh Sanjel, MD of the Institute said.

The courses are of six months duration and students can pay tuition fees in four installment during their period of study.

Currently, the faculty members comprises of senior and retired Nepal Airlines pilot and staffs certified by the City and Guilds with Train the Trainers certification, MD Sanjel said in the statement.

Keeping in mind about the language proficiency of the students, the institute, has arranged special ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) and Workplace Skills training to the students to hone their skills.

After the completion of the courses, students would get one month internship at the Tribhuvan International Airport, as stated in the statement.

]]>453429Gurus’ words of wisdomhttps://thehimalayantimes.com/education/gurus-words-of-wisdom/
Tue, 03 Oct 2017 23:33:44 +0000http://thehimalayantimes.com/?p=450971Teachers are guides for students providing students with valuable knowledge, which help students to excel in their studies as well as life in general.

Teachers are guides for students providing students with valuable knowledge, which help students to excel in their studies as well as life in general. Teachers with decades of teaching experience in various colleges share important tips.

Study on a regular basis

Teachers suggest that students should give regular time to their studies. However, they say there is no fixed hours that they should set aside.

“Regular reading is a must,” says Bharat Kumar Bhattarai, who has 30 years of experience as a Nepali lecturer. He suggests students to prepare notes right from the beginning of the academic year and go through it regularly.

Saroj Pyakurel, Accounting lecturer in different colleges in Kathmandu, says that there is no fixed hours that students should give to their studies. However, according to Pya-kurel, who has 14 years of teaching experience, students should give as much time as they can daily, in which they would be able to understand the lessons taught every day. “Students themselves should decide how much time they should give regularly on a daily basis so they understand the lessons,” he suggests. He stresses that during holidays too, students should set aside at least three hours for revisions.

Educationist Prof Dr Bidya Nath Koirala says that the time students should give to their studies depends upon their nature. Some students learn fast and some slowly, so students themselves should find out how much time they should give to their studies according to their learning ability.

Tips for exam preparation

Educators suggest that students should go through all the topics of a subject in order to obtain good marks in exams. Nepali lecturer Bhattarai suggests students to divide time according to the importance and marks of the topics. “For the exams you should not study selecting a few topics, but study all the topics in the text with the intention to understand each topic thoroughly.”

He says that students who select only few a topics to study for exams will not be able to do well. “Every topic in course is inter-related, and if students do not understand earlier topics, they will not be clear about the next chapter too,” he opines.

He also suggests students to prepare for exams by noting down important points of each chapter. Besides this, he says that students, who prepare notes from the beginning, will score good marks in exams as they will have already gained a deep knowledge of each chapter. However, he suggests avoiding using guides books and guess papers. “Students depending upon guide books and guess papers will ruin themselves,” he informs as “guide book writers are not responsible ones; they take it as a job and they are not responsible towards students’ progress.”

Photo: utexas.edu

Be proactive

Students should not only depend upon the teachers’ notes but should also work on their own by studying reference materials, books from the library and doing online researches, as per the teachers.

“Teachers are limited within the circle of their knowledge and education, so students should also study and prepare from books by various writers. This will broaden their knowledge,” says Bhattarai.

Pyakurel also argues that students should not only depend upon their teachers and course books. “Students can benefit much from YouTube and Google as thousands of study materials are available there.”

He further says, “The mind is always motivated by desire, so students should also research on issues in which their interests lie.”

Questioning mind

Prof Dr Koirala says that raising questions is the most important feature of a learner. He says that students should always have questions in their mind and ask questions to themselves in order to learn. On any topic or issue, a student should ask questions: Why it is so? How did it happen? What is the mechanism behind it? How is it related with me? Raising such questions will make a student understand topics analytically, he says.

Clear vision

Sociology lecturer Uttam Prasad Devkota says that students should have a goal. Devkota has 13 years of experience in teaching. “It is not that you study BBA because you completed your plus two level. Students should have a clear vision about their field of interest and about what they want to be in future,” points out Devkota. He adds that the students should not be limited to their course but should broaden their horizon by gaining knowledge on social, cultural, political and economic conditions of the country and people. Students should always notice what is happening in their society and country. This will make them explore the possibility of the current subject they are studying. They should not only prepare to get good results in exams but think of study and learning as a regular process, Devkota adds.

]]>450971The British College confers degrees to 201 graduating studentshttps://thehimalayantimes.com/education/british-college-confers-degrees-201-graduating-students/
Mon, 18 Sep 2017 11:43:45 +0000http://thehimalayantimes.com/?p=447986The British College conferred bachelors degree to 201 graduating students at an annual graduation ceremony held at the Soltee Crown Plaza.

A student is being congratulated during a graduation ceremony of the British College at Soltee Crown Plaza in Kathmandu, on Friday, September 15, 2017. Courtesy: TBC

KATHMANDU: The British College conferred bachelors degree to 201 graduating students at an annual graduation ceremony held at the Soltee Crown Plaza.

In a statement, the college said it bid adieu to 201 students, its 3rd batch and largest, of graduates from various faculty.

Among them, 69 students graduated with BBA (Hons) Business and Management; 28 with MSc International Business Management from the University of the West of England, Bristol and 104 students with BSc (Hons) Computing from Leeds Beckett University, as stated in the statement.

Representatives from both the awarding universities, Patrica Voaden, HoD for Business and Management of the University of West of England, and Lesley Earle, principal lecturer of Leeds Beckett University, had also attended the function.

They expressed their pride and respect for the graduating students, and wished them luck in their career, as mentioned in the statement.

The event was also attended by advisors for the college, John Edward Hollister Montagu (11th Earl of Sandwich), Dr Chiran Thapa (accredited educationalist), Michael Tutland (The Bristh Honorary Counsel in Bhutan), Paul Cleves ( former head of Geography at Eton College), Dr Ganga Lal Tuladhar (former Education Minister) and Dr John Bateman (principal of the British College).

British Ambassador to Nepal Richard Morris, Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Bhawani Rana and Chief Executive Officer of the British College Rajen Kandel were also present.

“The British College, established in 2011 has grown to be a unique educational institution and dream to make an international education accessible to Nepali students has become a reality,” CEO Kandel echoed.

The British College offer internationally recognised degrees and courses in affiliation to the Leeds Beckett University and the University of West of England, it said in the statement.

]]>447986Balancing celebrations and studieshttps://thehimalayantimes.com/education/balancing-celebrations-studies/
Tue, 22 Aug 2017 23:10:25 +0000http://thehimalayantimes.com/?p=440970Teej, one of the greatest festivals for Hindu women, is here. Students also celebrate this festival, and even if they don’t, they are affected by the festivities surrounding it as people from their friend circle or family members celebrate it.

Teej, one of the greatest festivals for Hindu women, is here. Students also celebrate this festival, and even if they don’t, they are affected by the festivities surrounding it as people from their friend circle or family members celebrate it. Sharing their views about this festival, they admit that the study environment college and homes is affected by the festival.

In celebratory mood

For most students the best aspect of this festival is that it strengthens the bond between female members in society as they meet and share their feelings with each other. They add that the singing, dancing and the celebration part of the festival is what they enjoy the most.

Nisha Khatiwada, a resident of Kapan and a Vth semester student of Bachelor of Public Health at the Karnali College of Health Sciences in Battisputali, says that it is fascinating to see women in red, dancing and singing folk songs on streets, going to temples in a holy and fasting mood.

Class environment

Rebecca Maghariya, a IVth year student of Bachelor of Business Studies (BBS) at the Shanker Dev Campus in Putalisadak, says that as their college has no uniform, students come wearing red and green, or colourful kurta and also with mehendi on their hands two weeks prior to Teej. Maghariya is from Kailali and is currently residing in Thankot.

Maghariya’s classmate Pratiksha Gautam says Teej becomes a subject of all talks among classmates. Gautam hails from Rukum and is residing in Dillibazar. According to her, kind of clothes to wear and songs to sing during Teej become the main topics of talk in class starting a few weeks before the festival.

Effects on study

The students also admit they are distracted from their studies during the festival due to many reasons.

Neeru Poudel, a IVth Year BBS student at Shanker Dev Campus, says that the festival affected her when she was studying in BBS Ist Year as the board exam was on the same day. She was distracted from her studies as there was a celebratory environment at her home. According to her, this year too the BBS Ist Year board exams were scheduled on Teej but was postponed due to floods in Tarai. Poudel is from Syangja and residing in New Baneshwor. She says that music and other noise from Darr events at a nearby complex could be heard from her room. This disturbs her while doing her college assignments.

Umesh Bhakt Joshi, a IInd Year student of Bachelor of Law (LLB) at the Nepal Law Campus at Pradarshanimarg, says that around 50 per cent of female classmates in his class do not attend class from around two weeks prior to Teej. Joshi, from Bajhang and residing in Kirtipur, says almost all his female classmates are absent from Darr eating day till Rishi Panchami. He opines that as half the number of students remain absent, their lecturers show no interest in teaching and usually postpone classes for a week. There is also less possibility of female lecturers holding classes on those days, informs Joshi, adding that student unions in the college have organised Darr programme for students this year too as in previous years.

Shanta Bahadur Tamang of the Nepal Law Campus however, says that Teej celebration should not affect students regarding their studies as it depends upon students themselves on how to manage time. According to him, if some days are to be spent in celebrations, students should study those chapters early on or give extra time to the same after the festival ends.

Superstition

Apart from these aspects of Teej, Khatiwada said she does not believe bathing and performing other rituals on Rishi Panchami will purify women and earn them penance from the so-called mistakes they may have committed being and making others impure during periods. Such superstitions push women to an inferior position in society, she adds.

]]>440970The Hostel Lifehttps://thehimalayantimes.com/education/the-hostel-life/
Tue, 15 Aug 2017 23:10:28 +0000http://thehimalayantimes.com/?p=439248Hasana Lawaju talks to college students who are living in hostels as they pursue their studies and finds out why students find it advantageous to stay in one

]]>Hasana Lawaju talks to college students who are living in hostels as they pursue their studies and finds out why students find it advantageous to stay in one

Hostel provides a good environment for studies — serious students take the best advantage while living in hostels. While there are the fun and challenges of living in a hostel, these are also the best places for students to live while pursuing their higher studies. Most students agree that they are motivated to study while saving their time as they attend their colleges while living in hostel.

Conducive study environment

Some students find hostel environment motivational to concentrate in their studies, especially during exams. “Every student staying in a hostel usually has exams at the same time, and thus all are studying during that time,” says Bishwadeep Tamang, a Bachelor of Engineering (Civil) IInd Year student at Khwopa College of Engineering, Bhaktapur. Tamang, who hails from Sankhuwasabha, is staying at Hostel Libali — a private hostel in Bhaktapur.

Tamang’s classmate as well as roommate Manish Dhakal echoes a similar view — “when a friend is studying for exams at hostel, a competitive spirit develops among other friends, and as a result everyone is motivated to study”.

The motivation to study comes from seniors at her hostel for Manisha Khadka, Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) VIth Semester student. Khadka, who studies at Padmakanya Multiple Campus, Baghbazar and stays in the college’s Pragya Chhatrawas, shares, “When I see my seniors — especially Master’s level students — studying sincerely, I am inspired to study properly.”

Living in a hostel with classmates becomes advantageous, especially when one misses a class or does not understand the topic taught in the classroom. “Whenever I do not understand any topic taught by the teachers, I can consult my roommates or other friends in the hostel who have a better understanding of the topic,” points out Kshitij Dahal, BE (Civil) IInd Year student at Khwopa College of Engineering. Dahal also resides in Hostel Libali.

However, Sharmila Upadhyaya staying at Padma Girls Hostel in Pulchowk, has a different experience. Initially, when she started living in the hostel three-and-a-half years ago, it was difficult for her to adjust because she was not used to studying in group. But with time, she has gotten used to it.

Upadhyaya, BE (Computer Engineering) VIIIth Semester student at the Institute of Engineering, Pulchowk, shares her hostel offers a good environment for students as it “only selects students after checking their academic performances”.

Life made easier

Khadka’s hostel is next to her college premises. “It takes me only a few minutes to reach my hostel. So, my time is not wasted in travelling,” says Khadka, who hails from Butwal. Living near the college, she claims to utilise most of her time for studies.

Had Dhakal, whose house is in Kapan, chosen to commute to his college in Bhaktapur from his home “I would have spent at least four hours daily just travelling in bus”. Thanks to his decision to stay in a hostel, he is able to save valuable time.

The students also need not cook or do laundry and cleaning as most hostels provide students with food, laundry and other services.

“We do not need to cook, wash dishes or clothes, and it is convenient for us,” Tamang shares.

Along with that other facilities are available in the hostels. For instance, the three-and-a- half storey Pragya Chhatrawas has made one study hall available in each floor for students along with Wi-Fi facility, as per Geeta Tandukar, a third class officer at General Administration Division of the Padmakanya Multiple Campus.

Kutumba Boys Hostel, Jawalakhel receives students’ report cards from their respective colleges. “We wake the students up early in the morning, monitor their studies, talk to the parents if their children are not concentrating in their studies or have poor academic performances,” hostel coordinator Bandana Khatri reveals.

More than studies

Be it a hostel run by the college or a private one, most make students’ academics the priority. But they also provide opportunities for students to have fun. As such, the occasional celebrations in hostels are the best moments for students like Khadka. They celebrate Teachers’ Day where they offer treats to their teachers and also celebrate birthday of their hostel warden, as per Khadka.

Hostel wardens too support the students in such endeavours. Rakesh Machamasi, Warden of Hostel Libali informs, “We prepare delicacies like Dahi Chiura, Khir, Yomari et cetera on different occasions for the hostel students and we all celebrate together. Our students find such celebrations interesting.”

Dissatisfaction

Most students agree that hostels provide them with a good study environment. However, they have some dissatisfaction too, mostly about the food served.

“Sometimes, the food served by our hostel is not hygienic. At times I have found insects and hair in the food, though it does happen always,” complains Khadka.

Dahal has some objection with the meat-policy of his hostel. “Our hostel serves meat every Wednesday. But if I do not feel like eating on that day and want to have meat on some other day, that is not possible,” Dahal argues.

But Upadhyaya puts forth a different opinion. “It is not what we want to eat, but what is available. If we do not eat properly, no one in the hostel will convince us to eat. As such habits like not eating on time can even affect our health. So, rather than complaining, we should learn to take care ourselves,” she opines.

]]>439248Balancing studies and jobhttps://thehimalayantimes.com/education/balancing-studies-job/
Wed, 09 Aug 2017 03:32:44 +0000http://thehimalayantimes.com/?p=437212Having and keeping a job is a task in itself. It becomes more of a tightrope act when you are holding a job and studying at the same time. Balancing both and managing time wisely is an act that many students who also hold a job or professionals who are continuing their studies grapple with all the time.

Having and keeping a job is a task in itself. It becomes more of a tightrope act when you are holding a job and studying at the same time. Balancing both and managing time wisely is an act that many students who also hold a job or professionals who are continuing their studies grapple with all the time. For them what gets them through is their dedication.

Dedication counts

Working students share that apart from paying full attention in class they fully utilise their time whenever they are free or after they return home.

“I discuss with my friends during break times and I also ask them to share their notes through social media in the evening,” says Piyush Balla, a IVth Year student of Bachelor of Business Studies (BBS) at Khwopa College in Bhaktapur.

Balla has been working as a full time Trainee Assistant at an insurance company at Suryabinayak, Bhaktapur for seven months.

Sadika Subba, Ist Year student of Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) at Sagarmatha College for Higher Studies, Dillibazar dedicates her evenings to her studies after returning from work. She has been working as a receptionist for a year now.

Rashmita Dhital, a BBS IIIrd Year student at Khwopa College, states that whenever she gets free time at her
workplace, she reads her college books and assignments. She is a full time school teacher.

Supportive environment

As novelist Paulo Coelho has said, ‘When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it,’ it is the same with the students. They have received a huge support from their immediate circle — parents, friends and teachers — in this matter.

“My family says that I am working at a young age and that they are really proud of me,” shares Susan Tachamo of Khwopa College. “My family tells me to take care of my health and not to worry about family matters,” adds Tachamo, a BBS IVth Year student who has been working as a full time computer teacher for the past one year.

As for Subba “teachers are very supportive; whenever I miss any class, they even guide me during break times”.

Dhital shares, “My parents have created a good environment for me at home. They do not let me do household chores, instead they tell me to concentrate on my studies. My friends also share the notes of the classes I have missed.”

As for Neetu Basnet she says she has a supportive environment in her workplace. According to her, she gets leaves from her office whenever needed, so it is easy for her to prepare for and during exams. She is a IIIrd Semester student of Child Development and Gender Socialisation at Padmakanya Multiple Campus, Bagbazar, and has been working as a cashier at an organization in Putalisadak for the last three years.

Source: m.piottawa.ca

What counts as motivation

These individuals are being able to balance their studies and work as they find motivation in gaining experience and becoming self-dependent.

Tachamo says that he is gaining experience as a computer teacher, it may be easy for him to get job related to this field in future too. Besides this, “we can earn some money too and can even give to our family,” he further says.

“It is a wonderful feeling to pay our college fees with our own income,” says Balla.

Basnet shares that due to her job, she does not get enough time to revise her daily lessons at times. This makes her feel sad, but as the job gives a kind of satisfaction, she has been managing till now.

The role of college

To help working students in their endeavour, some colleges in Kathmandu Valley have made special arrangements.

Bhaktapur’s Khwopa College has scheduled Master’s level classes till 9:00 am only so that working students are able reach work on time. “Bachelor’s level classes are till 10:30 am, but we have arranged identity cards for students, who leave at 9:45 am,” informs Vice-Principal Rajesh Kumar Shrestha. This card is given only after students provide their work document, and the college also reaches an agreement with the parents regarding the matter, Shrestha adds.

“If students are holding jobs related to their studies, it is easier for them as they are learning by doing,” opines Bharat Dhungel, Business Communications teacher at the college.

Caspian Valley College, Lalitpur has managed job section classes for the students who are working full time. There are a total of eight job section classes for Bachelor’s level students scheduled from 6:00 to 9:00 am, and the daily course of studies is covered within these three hours, says Chairman Gobind Khanal.

]]>437212Nepali student tops world in ACCA examshttps://thehimalayantimes.com/education/nepali-student-rejika-maharjan-tops-world-acca-exams/
Sat, 05 Aug 2017 01:29:39 +0000http://thehimalayantimes.com/?p=436031Rejika Maharjan, a student from The British College, has topped P3 Business Analysis professional Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) paper, in the June 2017 exams, thus ranking her number one in the world.

Rejika Maharjan, a student from The British College, being honoured after she topped P3 Business Analysis professional Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) paper, in the June 2017 exams, ranking number one in the world, in Kathmandu, on August 3, 2017. Photo: The British College

KATHMANDU: Rejika Maharjan, a student from The British College, has topped P3 Business Analysis professional Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) paper, in the June 2017 exams, thus ranking her number one in the world.

According to a press release issued by The British College, Maharjan was honoured for her achievement at an award ceremony held in Capital on August 3.

Mahendra Kandel, Director of The British College and Ananta Gautam, ACCA Programme Manager of The British College jointly awarded Maharjan with a cheque of Rs 20,000 at the function, mentioned the press statement.

Speaking at the programme, Gautam said that it was a huge achievement to produce such a talent though Nepal is a small country with only 2500 ACCA students. “It is a profound success for all Nepali ACCA students, teachers, ACCA members, learning providers and the nation as a whole,” the press statement quoted Gautam as saying.

Provided in over 180 countries, ACCA is a professional qualification, which prepares students for careers in Accounting and Finance, the release adds.

]]>436031Lack of ‘safe’ jobs keeping educated women from work in Indiahttps://thehimalayantimes.com/education/lack-safe-jobs-keeping-educated-women-work-india/
Sat, 03 Jun 2017 09:35:28 +0000http://thehimalayantimes.com/?p=417196A lack of safe workplaces in India and the danger of reaching them by public transport is keeping more educated women out of the labour force, hurting the economy and leaving women vulnerable, analysts say.

MUMBAI: A lack of safe workplaces in India and the danger of reaching them by public transport is keeping more educated women out of the labour force, hurting the economy and leaving women vulnerable, analysts say.

Nearly two-thirds of Indian women with college degrees are without jobs, pushing female labour force participation to 27 percent in 2011-2012 – among the lowest in the world – from near 40 percent in the early-2000s, according to World Bank data.

India’s economy could achieve double-digit growth if the government drives ahead with reforms to increase women’s participation in the workforce, said a World Bank report published this week.

“More Indian women have indicated that they would like to work, but cannot find suitable jobs,” said Frederico Gil Sander, senior country economist at the World Bank.

“Suitable jobs are those that are safe, flexible, with access to benefits and dignity in the workplace … safety is an important part of the equation,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

The gender gap in the workplace has widened despite rising female literacy levels on the back of initiatives such as the Right to Education Act (2009) and the Beti Padhao, Beti Bachao (educate the girl child, save the girl child) campaign.

More women are earning degrees in science and technology. But the unemployment rate for graduate Indian women is far higher than in other developing nations in Asia such as Bangladesh and Indonesia.

“This is a matter of concern as women’s paid employment is known to increase their ability to influence decision-making within the household, and empower them more broadly in society,” the World Bank report said.

One reason for the low participation is that about 90 percent of India’s workforce is in the informal sector, for which data are not available. They include farm labourers, construction workers, street vendors and domestic helpers.

At the same time, India is not creating enough jobs in the manufacturing and services sectors including the textile and retail industries, which are considered as suitable for women.

While social norms and patriarchal attitudes still hold women back, rising incomes are also why more educated women choose not to work, data shows.

The rising incidence of workplace sexual harassment is also a deterrent.

Recent cases of stalking and killing of women working in technology firms showed the risks in an industry credited with having created tens of thousands of jobs for women.

A letter from women in a spinning mill describing the sexual harassment they faced exposed the multi-billion-dollar textile industry where thousands of women work.

States with a high female workforce participation – Sikkim, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu – have fewer restrictions on women workers and high conviction rates for crimes against women, the Center for Strategic and International Studies said in a separate report.

There is also the commute to work: A 2014 poll by the Thomson Reuters Foundation ranked Delhi the fourth most dangerous city surveyed for a woman to take public transport.

“Safe spaces to work in, and safe access to these spaces is important for female workers – from a vegetable vendor to an IT worker,” said Subhalakshmi Nandi, a specialist at UN Women.

]]>417196Facebook’s Zuckerberg to give Harvard graduation speechhttps://thehimalayantimes.com/education/facebooks-zuckerberg-give-harvard-graduation-speech/
Thu, 25 May 2017 07:36:00 +0000http://thehimalayantimes.com/?p=414158Mark Zuckerberg is giving a commencement address at Harvard, where he dropped out 12 years ago to focus on Facebook.

]]>NEW YORK: Mark Zuckerberg is giving a commencement address at Harvard, where he dropped out 12 years ago to focus on Facebook.

Zuckerberg, 33, follows another famous Harvard dropout, Bill Gates, who spoke before its graduates a decade ago. Steve Jobs, who dropped out of Reed College in Oregon, gave Stanford’s commencement speech in 2005.

Zuckerberg started Facebook in his Harvard dorm room in 2004. He also met his wife, Priscilla Chan, there.

The event will be livestreamed Thursday afternoon on Harvard’s website and on Zuckerberg’s Facebook page. On Tuesday, Zuckerberg and Chan live-streamed a video from Zuckerberg’s old dorm room on his Facebook page.

]]>414158Problem with procrastinationhttps://thehimalayantimes.com/education/campus_news/problem-with-procrastination/
Wed, 19 Apr 2017 09:59:29 +0000http://thehimalayantimes.com/?p=402648Procrastination is a problem amongst college students. Not studying or completing assignments when there is ample time, rushing to finish the assignment when the deadline is near or starting to study only when the exam schedule is published — these are common problems seen in most college students.

Procrastination is a problem amongst college students. Not studying or completing assignments when there is ample time, rushing to finish the assignment when the deadline is near or starting to study only when the exam schedule is published — these are common problems seen in most college students.

Why procrastinate?

Eighteen-year-old Suresh Dangol sometimes misses the deadline for submitting his assignments. Studying in Class XII at National College of Computer Studies, Paknajol, Dangol claimed, “Mostly, I submit assignments on time. But sometimes I tend to miss the deadline, but I submit it later.”

Mostly, he can’t manage to finish the assignment of Computer Science on time. “Assignments are boring, especially of Computer Science,” he said, adding, “I don’t understand this subject and it’s really difficult to solve the problems.”

When he has ample time to learn and finish the assignment, Dangol admitted not giving time for his studies. Instead, he is usually busy playing video games and watching videos on YouTube.

But there is compulsion for him to finish the assignment at any cost as “it covers 20 marks during exams”. So, he usually “copy answers from my friend’s assignment. One of my friends learns from his brother, and I copy his answers, and submit it”.

Television soaps and Facebook keep 22-year-old Shila Basnet occupied most of the time. The LLB IInd Year student at Nepal Law Campus, Exhibition Road is badly affected by this habit of hers.

Every year, as the new session begins, she promises to study and finish all assignments on time. Yet her plan never works.

“Recently, we had to submit an assignment on Moot Court — we had a deadline of around two months. I thought I had ample time so, I pushed it every single day and promised to start the assignment the next day. Finally, I stayed up the entire night before the deadline to finish the assignment,” Basnet shared.

Procrastination has also hindered students from performing well in exams. Rather than studying throughout the academic year, Basnet revealed, “I study seriously only when the exam schedule is out and so do my friends.”

Time management vs procrastination

Dangol, who is currently preparing to sit for Class XII exams, however claimed, “We are busy with college before the exam routine is published. And if we study earlier (before the routine is out), there is high chance of forgetting what we have studied about the subject matter. At least, I forget soon. So, I study seriously only after the exam routine is out.”

But such a habit makes students stressed rather than helping them excel in exams.

“Last time, in the exams of Property Law, I couldn’t remember the answers of some of the questions, though I recalled the page number of the text which had the answers. Yet I scored good marks. I could have scored better had I prepared for exams from earlier,” Basnet said.

On the other hand, there are some students who are energetic and do their assignments on time.

Twenty-five-year-old Parbati Khadka never misses the deadline of her assignments. Pursuing MA IInd Semester at Central Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, Tribhuvan University (TU), she claimed, “If we miss deadlines, we may fail in exams.”

In case of preparing for exams, Khadka informed, “I study only by understanding the context and never stay awake at night during the exams. I study seriously when the routine is out but I never stay all night to study as I fear falling ill.”

Handling procrastinators

Most students are like Dangol and Basnet, and delay to submit their assignments.

There are a few such students at Ashirwad College, Samakhushi too, as per Lecturer and Academic Director Birendra Manandhar.

Some students submit assignments after missing the deadline. “If students do not complete their homework on time, every day more workload is added. So, they need to finish every assignment on time,” said Manandhar.

As such his college has “the system to punish such students — we make them stay on the playground and finish their
assignment if they do not submit it on time”.

Some of his students copy homework from friends and submit them. Though copying is not encouraged, he finds it better than not submitting anything at all. “The students learn something about the topic even if they complete the assignment by copying it from friends,” he added.

But rather than punishing students who do not complete their assignments on time, Premier College, New Baneshwor provides “counselling sessions to make them understand the value of education”.

As such, “compared to other colleges my college has fewer students with procrastinating habit. Only some 25 per cent students tend to delay to submit assignments,” informed Raj Kumar Acharya, Academic Director of Premier College.

Acharya also opined that instead of rote learning, teachers should focus on participatory learning so that students love to do assignments. “We teach students by using power point presentation, give case studies required in the course and motivate themselves to explore about the topic being taught,” he shared about the techniques uses in his classroom.

“Along with that if a teacher checks homework on time and if parents are aware about their children’s problem, then the problem of procrastination could be solved,” he added.

]]>402648Absences, fitness, atmosphere _ new ways to track schoolshttps://thehimalayantimes.com/education/absences-fitness-atmosphere-_-new-ways-to-track-schools/
Mon, 17 Apr 2017 08:59:44 +0000http://thehimalayantimes.com/?p=401882How often do students miss school? Are they ready for college? Are they physically fit? Is their school a welcoming place?

FILE – Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is seen in the State Department Library of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington, on April 11, 2017. Photo: AP

WASHINGTON: How often do students miss school? Are they ready for college? Are they physically fit? Is their school a welcoming place?

States are beginning to outline new ways to evaluate their schools, rather than relying just on traditional measures such as test scores.

The plans are required under a new federal education law, the Every Student Succeeds Act, which takes effect in the coming school year.

Under the new law, states are focusing more on academic growth, meaning not just whether students have achieved a certain academic level in reading and math, but whether they have improved over time.

Mike Petrilli, president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, said that’s a big change from the No Child Left Behind Act, the previous version of the education law. “Schools and educators should feel good about that; that will be a fairer way to measure school quality,” he said.

But while most experts praised the flexibility and innovation offered by the new law, some think that in the absence of federal guidelines some states may overlook groups of students who need additional support, such as minorities, students with disabilities and English-language learners. The Republican-controlled Congress moved swiftly this year to rescind key federal accountability guidelines passed by the Obama administration to help states implement the new law.

So far, nine states and the District of Columbia have submitted their accountability plans to the Education Department for review, and seven states are completing their blueprints. The remaining states will submit their plans in September. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos will decide whether to accept or reject them. She has said her goal is state and local flexibility in education and indicated that she might use the process to advance school choice.

When evaluating school quality, states are experimenting with new indicators. Almost all of the first-round states have adopted chronic absenteeism, or how many students miss more than 10 percent of the school year, as a key metric.

Connecticut and Delaware, among others, also will be tracking college readiness, or whether high school students are taking advanced classes and how successful they are on college admission tests like the SAT.

Tennessee wants to give every public school in the state a grade from A to F, which state Education Commissioner Candice McQueen says would give parents better information about schools. The grade will take into account such things as how well English language learners are doing and whether disabled students are being served. The schools will also be graded on chronic absenteeism rates, and if students are ready for college or the military and whether traditionally underserved students are performing well. Graduation rates also will count.

Nevada outlined a system that focuses on student growth measures, including test scores, English language proficiency, and graduation rates. Massachusetts will be paying attention to academic results in ninth grade.

In New Mexico, the state will begin tracking the need for additional tutoring in college and linking those back to high schools where the students studied. The state also will look at how students do in science in ranking schools.

Some states are getting creative. Vermont and Connecticut want to make physical fitness another sign of school quality, while Connecticut also believes access to arts education should be another measure. Illinois wants to conduct “climate surveys” asking whether children feel they are in a safe and welcoming environment.

“There is a lot more than just tests that matter for student success,” said Natasha Ushomirsky with the Education Trust. “Tests are important and looking at progress is important, but states are getting a better picture of how schools are serving students.”

Another common thread that has emerged from the first round: States are doing a better job of involving parents, teachers and community activists in the process. “They’ve been very proactive to engage anybody who has an interest in the plans,” said Kirsten Carr with the Council of Chief State School Officers.

But Marc Magee, CEO of 50Can, an education nonprofit, expressed concern that “if everybody doesn’t hold up their end of the bargain, we could go back to that era where certain populations of students become invisible inside schools even if they are struggling mightily and not getting the opportunity that they deserve.”

And Lindsey Tepe, senior education policy analyst at New America, said there is so much variation in how states want to evaluate their schools that national comparisons could be difficult. “Without the guidance, there isn’t really a recipe to follow,” said Tepe.

]]>401882Outstanding achievershttps://thehimalayantimes.com/education/campus_news/outstanding-achievers/
Wed, 12 Apr 2017 00:55:11 +0000http://thehimalayantimes.com/?p=399901We enjoy stories of success, but we generally overlook immense effort and dedication behind every success. Amongst such dedicated ones are the top students

Kathmandu: We enjoy stories of success, but we generally overlook immense effort and dedication behind every success. Amongst such dedicated ones are the top students — their hard work and smart learning techniques have made them outstanding achievers. Some such students share how they have excelled in their studies, and scored the highest marks.

Toppers’ tales

“One can’t be Binod Chaudhary and Anuradha Koirala overnight,” opined Trishna Acharya, gold medallist in MA (Journalism) 2016 from Tribhuvan University (TU). She scored 71.14 per cent in her MA.

“But continued dedication and hard work pay,” the 25-year-old shared the secret of her success, adding, “Text books are not the only resources to study. I used to watch lectures on YouTube that helped in my studies in MA IInd Year.”

Till her Bachelor’s level, she also had problem in time management while taking exams. “In the three-hour-long exam of 100 full marks, I would spend one hour to solve questions carrying 15 marks. And I wouldn’t have sufficient time to solve rest of the questions.”

But that did not happen in her Master’s level — she gave her best while studying, learnt time management techniques and performed well in her exams, thus becoming the topper.

Another such gold medallist of 2016 is Surina Kayastha — scoring 68.6 per cent in the Master’s level, she topped MA Sociology from TU. A working student, Kayastha was also the topper in her Plus-Two and Bachelor’s level.

Surina Kayastha

While sharing her tips to score good marks, Kayastha advised, “Know the gist of any topic and write it with examples, you can definitely succeed.”

“Being regular in class and note taking habit” also helped her to excel in her studies. “If you attend classes regularly and take all the classes being attentive, you can easily score 50 per cent marks; and the rest is in your hands. Scoring good marks depends on how dedicated you are towards your goal.”

On the contrary, for some students like Gokul Pokhrel, regularity in class does not matter. A PhD student, who topped the MPhil level in 2015 from TU, with an A-Minus score, he opined, “One should have the habit to study to be a good learner and topper.”

Since he has developed the “habit of reading”, he gets sad whenever he doesn’t have time to read. A topper in Plus-Two, Bachelor’s and Master’s levels, 29-year-old Pokhrel studies five hours every day. “It’s easy to get success but
to handle it and remain on the peak is a kind of pressure,” he added.

And to continue remaining on the peak, he even changed his faculty in his Master’s level. “When I did MEd I came third (70.50 per cent), and I was disappointed. Then I joined MA in Nepali Literature and topped this time, scoring 71.50 percent,” he revealed.

Nineteen-year-old Amit Kumar Shah, on the other hand, has just started to enjoy success. He scored the highest marks in the English Language in Nepal (A Grade with 80 per cent) in Cambridge International AS Level exams held in June, 2016.

Sharing his studying tricks, Shah revealed that he took help from answers written by other A Level toppers; read news, reference books, and essays written by different English writers; and learnt the techniques of criticism of a text, during his AS Level.

An avid novel reader, who usually finishes reading two novels a week, Shah revealed, “I focused on topics and understood the context while studying rather than opting for rote learning. And I think it helped me to get a goodscore.”

Roles of parents and teachers

Parents and teachers play a vital role to shape future of their children/students. And how do the parents/teachers of the top students help them excel in their studies?

Laxmi Subedi is happy that her son Sujit Gautam topped in English Language in Nepal in A Level (November, 2016). He scored 85 per cent.

“My son is good in studies, however we didn’t know he was that good,” shared the proud mother, whose son stayed in the hostel while pursuing A Level.

Like every other parent, she would “nag my son to study” even when he came home for holidays.

Does the teaching method adopted by teachers also affect in students’ performance?

Surendra Raj Joshi, Coordinator of A Level Programme at Kathmandu University High School opined, “It depends upon the students — in A Level, the teaching method of all teachers is almost same. The students’ success depends on whether they are critical and creative, or not.”

Comparing Plus-Two and A Level, he shared, “Students focus on rote learning in Plus-Two. Also, students can easily copy answers from text book because questions are made that way.”

However, reality should be different. “Students should take the concept from teachers’ lectures and books and reflect their understanding through their writing — and A Level encourages students to do so.”

Prabhat Chhetri, A Level Coordinator at Little Angels’ School, Hattiban revealed that they use five skills of Cambridge —engaged, innovative, confident, responsible, and creative — to teach students.

So, what is the difference between toppers and other students?

Chhetri, who has 26 years’ teaching experience, replied, “The toppers are the ones who are self learners, and write the answers to the point.”

]]>399901Are educational institutions just political labs?https://thehimalayantimes.com/education/are-educational-institutions-just-political-labs/
https://thehimalayantimes.com/education/are-educational-institutions-just-political-labs/#respondWed, 11 Jan 2017 02:45:14 +0000http://thehimalayantimes.com/?p=364124There has always been a debate — should students be allowed in politics, or not? Despite the debate, many college students are involved in politics. Many say politics itself is not a bad thing, but the wrong system practised in the colleges is ruining the educational environment.

There has always been a debate — should students be allowed in politics, or not? Despite the debate, many college students are involved in politics. Many say politics itself is not a bad thing, but the wrong system practised in the colleges is ruining the educational environment. Some students and experts claim that our colleges and universities are turning into a political laboratory.

The Free Students Union (FSU) is the representative body of students to advocate for their rights in colleges, and every government college has an FSU. The students who are members of the student wings of various political parties usually are the representatives in FSU. These student wings deny ruining the education environment or the flourishing of malpractices — instead they claim of being involved in politics for the betterment of the education system.

Hold over government colleges

Ravi Acharya, 21, is pursuing BA IInd Year at Ratna Rajya Laxmi Campus (RR Campus), Exhibition Road. Sharing his classroom experience he said, “They (student leaders) usually enter the classrooms and promote their political agenda even when the classes are running.”

The classes are disturbed but they do not care about that fact. Thus, Acharya is “afraid our college is turning into a place that grooms hooligans, promotes corruption, and encourages political rallies and agendas”.

But Rajkumar Rai, President of All Nepal National Free Students Union (ANNFSU), the student wing of CPN-UML, RR Campus, disagreed with the claim that student unions are ruining the college environment. He argued, “We never disturb classes — we conduct rallies, call for strikes, and other activities outside the college premises. So, students who want to study can continue doing so in classrooms without any disturbance. If any student wants to join such activities, s/he can do so. And we are doing everything for the students.”

Himal Sharma, former president of All Nepal National Independent Students Union-Revolutionary (ANNISU-R), student wing of CPN-Maoist) at Tribhuvan University (TU), echoed a similar view — of working for students to improve the education system.

“It was our initiation that made it possible to start the semester system in TU,” he stated further informing, “Now we are fighting to implement the age-limit for students willing to fight for FSU elections. We are demanding to make the maximum age limit at 28 years.”

Ironically, when Sharma won the FSU elections of TU in 2008, he was 37 years old. He resigned from the post four years later. But as the FSU elections have not been held for the last eight years, he is responsible for all activities even today.

But then working all these years he has realised that “FSU is for fresh and young students. So, I’m advocating age limitation”.

Influence on private institutions

Photo Courtesy: UP Lamichhane

In recent times, private colleges have also been influenced by political parties. Recently, when the CPN-UML launched their protest programmes against the amendment of the new Constitution, tens of thousands of people gathered. Among them was 18-year-old Astha Adhikari. She was present at the event in Bhrikuti Mandap carrying the party’s flag, together with her entire class.

“We came here on our own, after finishing an internal exam, to support the demands of CPN-UML,” Adhikari shared. Sadly, she was unaware of what things in the Constitution were recommended for amendment and why the CPN-UML was protesting it.

She is a member of ANNFSU unit of her college. The BSc Ist Year student at Himalayan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (HICAST), informed, “When I joined BSc, the college already had ANNFSU. I liked its activities so I joined the organisation.”

Whenever they do not get required educational materials at college, the ANNFSU protests by complaining about the problems to the college authority, and the problems have been solved.

“But we do not burn tyres for protest,” Adhikari stated.

An outdated practice?

Photo Courtesy: Himal Sharma

College and university students are the catalysts who have often played a significant role to bring about social/political change in world history or to fight against the existing system. In case of Nepal — be it the national referendum of 1979, mass revolution of 1990 for the restoration of democracy, or the mass movement of 2006 to oust monarchy, students have played a vital role to bring about the changes. Organising rallies and other activities in support of political parties, the students (via various student unions) have played a major role to bring about these changes during these periods.

“Our colleges had become political laboratory to practice mini-politics to change society before the restoration of democracy in the country. That was the need of the hour to bring democracy in the country,” said Prof Dr Surendra KC, a historian and political analyst.

The goal was achieved — democracy was established and again there was mass revolution of 2006 which made Nepal a federal democratic republic nation.

With these changes Prof Dr KC argued there is no more need for colleges/universities to act as political laboratories. And this practice had to be stopped soon after the democracy. “However, that didn’t happen. As a result, our educational institutions these days have become centres to serve the vested interests of political parties — they have turned students (involved in politics) into opportunists, who are nurturing political malpractices in the country,” he stated.

But UP Lamichhane, former spokesperson of Nepal Students Union (NSU), a student wing of Nepali Congress, has a different opinion.

“I joined student politics since school but started to work full time in 1999,” informed Lamichhane, now a central-committee member of NSU.

He is of the opinion that only politics can change society. “I worked in media and other fields too and I can’t influence the entire society by working in one particular sector. But that is possible in politics — you can make an impact on entire nation through your work as a politician, be it student politics. Thus, I feel politics is one of the best careers,” he added.

Has politics affected the quality of education might still be a subject for debate. Every year the Educational Committee prepares reports after monitoring the education quality of colleges/universities, but they are not implemented, according to Prof Dr KC. The malpractices like political appointment of teachers and those in decision-making level of colleges and universities are rampant, as per him. “Thus, to make the education environment free from political influences and improve education system, political parties and leaders need to come clean first,” he concluded.

]]>https://thehimalayantimes.com/education/are-educational-institutions-just-political-labs/feed/0364124Chance to learn something extrahttps://thehimalayantimes.com/education/chance-to-learn-something-extra/
https://thehimalayantimes.com/education/chance-to-learn-something-extra/#respondWed, 04 Jan 2017 04:33:07 +0000http://thehimalayantimes.com/?p=361501College life is an important chapter in a student’s life. To make this period more fruitful for students, colleges in Nepal are bringing various programmes in recent years and one popular programme is the student exchange programme.

Adish Kumar Gorkhali with other students from South Asia at the 15th Chinese Bridge Competition, China. Photo Courtesy: Adish Kumar Gorkhali

Kathmandu

College life is an important chapter in a student’s life. To make this period more fruitful for students, colleges in Nepal are bringing various programmes in recent years and one popular programme is the student exchange programme. It aims to help students understand host country’s culture — where they are going to join short-term courses as well as broaden their academic knowledge.

Are our colleges really providing such programmes? Are students benefiting from such programmes?

As per the Coordinator for Undergraduate Programme at Kathmandu University School of Management (KUSOM) Hari Gopal Risal, “It is one of the regular programmes of our college. Mostly foreign students from New Zealand, US, France and the Netherlands come to us, and our students mostly go to China.”

Due to high expense, Chelsea International Academy does not have students exchange programmes, however, “our students participate in various conferences for two-three days”, informed Programme Director Rajesh Adhikari.

Silver Mountain School of Hotel Management offers an international diploma programme. The college is affiliated to Queen Margaret University, UK. The college has provision for students to complete their last year of diploma from the UK or Nepal as per a student’s choice. “But till now, none of our students has gone there. However, students from there come here,” informed Director of Admissions and Marketing Sandipa Thapa Basnyat.

“We are offering the same course here for Rs 6 lakhs while it would cost around Rs 20 lakhs in the UK. So, students prefer to study here as they get same level’s certificate,” she added.

According to Secretary Britant Khanal from International Law and Relation Studies Centre (a branch of Kathmandu School of Law — KSL), “We are regularly conducting student exchange programmes. The University of Sydney is sending 30 students here for two weeks under the student exchange programmes for the fifth time. We can’t afford to send our students, but we are sending LLB and LLM students to Bangladesh for two weeks to discuss the Nepali Constitution. In three years LLB and LLM students have gone to Bangladesh twice and once respectively.”

As per him, “Foreign students mostly come to Nepal to learn about the Nepali Constitution, International Committee of Red Cross’ role during the civil war, Truth and Reconciliation Commission and why it takes 23 years to complete the 22-km Melamchi (water supply) tunnel.”

International Exposure

Students who participated in student exchange programmes learned to be confident as well as gained knowledge. As per 22-year-old Shailu Sharma, “I got a chance to participate in the Model United Nations (MUN) Conference’s debate programme. As per the rules, I had to represent Saudi Arabia. In the event I debated in support of Sharia law — focusing on the point that this religious law is regarded good according to the Islam religion.”

Sharma studying LLB, VIth Year at KSL, said the programme helped her to be confident to put across her point of view in front of the mass. “It was a wonderful experience. For three days we saw 1,800-plus delegation talk and discuss about various issues of various countries. I realised that we don’t have the habit to speak in English. I also learned the international political scenario and backgrounds which are quite helpful to my subjects.”

Agreeing with Sharma, LLB Vth Year student at Nepal Law Campus Makan Tamang, who had participated in the same programme, shared, “Our college does not have student exchange programmes. So, we went through another organisation and were quite happy to get this exposure.”

Tamang and Sharma participated in the MUN Conference held in Bhuwaneshwor, India at the end of 2015.

However, such short programmes do not bring vast differences in students. They give them exposure but do not make vast differences in their academics, according to Adhikari.

On the contrary, Khanal opined that the programme had helped students to lead and put forward their perspectives while discussing in the international forum. “We built the programme to develop their leadership skills which is quite lacking in our country.”

Career driven

Such programmes not only give students exposure, they can be a means to get jobs too. Take Adish Kumar Gorkhali for example. This 24-year-old recent graduate of KUSOM, said “We (Nepalis) have the idea that we should learn English and by hook or by crook go to America and Europe, which is a wrong concept”.

Gorkhali learned the Chinese language in KUSOM and took a Diploma course in the Language and Culture at Hebei Normal University, China. In 2016, he participated in ‘15th Chinese Bridge Competition’ held from July 9 for one month. “I beat more than 100 participants from around the world and won the title.”

Chinese Bridge is the biggest Chinese proficiency competition in the world held by Confucius Institute.

“Now, I’m working at Singha Durbar in the solar project aid of the Chinese government,” he said, proudly adding, “When we go to abroad or on such exchange programmes, we should not restrain ourselves. To understand their culture, we should participate in their culture. I learned martial arts, calligraphy and Chinese songs. I knew Chinese people work much harder than us and are very dedicated to their jobs. Without hard work we cannot make our country — we (Nepalis) must learn that.”

]]>https://thehimalayantimes.com/education/chance-to-learn-something-extra/feed/0361501Is going abroad the only answer?https://thehimalayantimes.com/education/going-study-abroad-answer/
https://thehimalayantimes.com/education/going-study-abroad-answer/#respondWed, 21 Dec 2016 05:21:59 +0000http://thehimalayantimes.com/?p=356630The huge age gap between parents and children, mostly in uneducated parents and educated children — the children choose to leave and study abroad

Students being briefed academic programmes at various foreign institutions, during the 13th International Education Fair, at the Alfa Beta Complex in New Baneshwor, on Thursday, December 15, 2016. Photo: Skanda Gautam/THT

Kathmandu

More and more Nepali students are going abroad to pursue their studies. But is it really a foreign degree luring them, or is it something else? According to the statistics at the Ministry of Education for 2015/16, 32,889 students have gone abroad to study, whereas in the year 2014/15, 30,696 students went abroad for the same. The number of students going abroad is increasing by the year.

It is common to see students enrolling for IELTS, TOEFL, GMAT and language classes to go either to Europe, America and other countries.

Billions of rupees have been invested in our education system. In Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu University, Purbanchal University, and colleges affiliated to these universities — a huge amount of money has been invested. However, students are opting to go abroad, and they go one way or the other.

The question that arises here is — can our colleges and universities not provide quality education?

Numerous education fairs are held in the Capital about studies abroad. These fairs aim to provide information to students about studies in their choice of university abroad and to help them choose desirable courses at affordable costs.

Rozwol Karmacharya, 22, from Maitidevi, is one such student aspiring to study abroad. After completing his Bachelor in Hotel Management from Nepal Academy of Tourism and Hotel Management, “I’m planning to do MBA in Hospitality Management in the US. If I get an American degree, I can get job anywhere.”

Nineteen-year-old Shyam Kishore Shah from Baneshwor is another visitor to such a fair and shared, “I’m going to join Sharda University in India for BE.” On being asked why not study here, he said, “I heard there is good accommodation and environment for students and an affordable fee too in that university.”

Reasons to leave

Educationist Prof Dr Bidya Nath Koirala listed out several causes that encourage Nepali students to opt for studies abroad.

The first cause he pointed out was the generation gap. “The huge age gap between parents and children, mostly in uneducated parents and educated children — the children choose to leave and study abroad. And going abroad is taken as a mark of respect. If someone has gone abroad, it automatically increases his/her level. Also, they think they should earn money. There is an assumption that if we earn $1 there, it will be converted to Rs 100 here. The other reason is the aspiration to do something. But some students go abroad just to study also.”

Conditions of private institution

Prof Dr Koirala also claimed that private institutions have focused on decorations only. “They are unable to provide quality education to compete in the open markets. Teachers’ role is ‘all in all’, but knowledge-wise they are out-dated. They teach with an exam-oriented mindset. They pass students through nepotism and favouritism. Hence, students are unable to rely on their teachers here and hence forced to seek other choices.”

He also pointed out the mentality of parents and students. “They want an education which will give cash returns immediately. After studies, they must get a good job immediately.”

Government views

As per Spokesperson of Ministry of Education Dr Hari Prasad Lamsal, “Education is not one reason that students are leaving to go abroad. Students aim to reach those countries to study as well as to earn money.”

He insisted the government has been offering BBA, MBA, Engineering and MBBS courses at affordable fees and there are affiliations between Nepali and foreign universities/colleges too.

Role of consultancies

There have been cases of students who went abroad and were trapped in disqualified institutions and colleges. Due to lack of governing and monitoring bodies, many education consultancies are cheating such students. There are still a large number of counsellors who do not
have a certificate to counsel students. On the other hand, students totally depend on consultancies for information and they hardly care to get information on their own.

Dwiraj Sharma, Executive Chairman of Alfa Beta Group, claimed that his institution does not attend students who have less than 60 per cent marks. However, one observed at a counselling for a student that the counsellor involved assured that the student would easily get a visa. This student had 55 per cent on his marksheet.

“Chinese and Indian students go to Europe, America and study hard for better education. But our students go there to earn money rather than study,” he explained.

What is the solution?

It is a student’s right to study in the country of their choice as long as they have a ‘No Objection’ letter from the Nepal government. But the problem is — are they really serious about studying? Or we are too late to address the problem?

As per Prof Dr Koirala, “Holding exams and declaring results on time, the course taught should be designed by the teacher him/herself, the teacher should be updated about the subject s/he is teaching, and students should have the choice to change subjects if they are unable to understand it. Along with this the leadership of educational institutions should be strong. These steps will solve the problem.”

Agreeing with him, Dr Lamsal said, “Rules and regulations in colleges/universities should be strengthened. Exams and results on time, less politicisation, no strikes will do, and they should offer newer courses and revise the old ones.”